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34
Ophthalmia Neonatorum.
No cases were notified during 1954. This is the seventh
successive year in which no cases of ophthalmia neonatorum
have been notified.
Puerperal Pyrexia.

Food Poisoning.
Only two notifications of food poisoning were received
during 1954, compared with four in 1953.
These were both mild isolated cases. The fullest
investigations were made in each hut it was not possible to
prove that any particular foods had caused the illness.
Faeces specimens were taken, and salmonella organisms were
isolated, but all other specimens were found to be negative
for pathogenic organisms, and no spread of infection occurred.
Food poisoning was strongly suspected in the occurrence
of a quick, sharp incident of illness appearing among 89
persons of a firm in Kingston. The persons concerned
represented a proportion of the employees of the firm in
question who had taken meals in their staff canteen.
The Public Health Department was notified immediately
the illness became known and it was possible at once to deal
with the outbreak which was of a mild nature and quickly
resolved itself.
The incident was reported fully to the Ministry of
Healths, and suggestions, which it is thought will minimise
the risk of a further incident of this nature, were made to
the firm,
Tuberculosis.
Cases of tuberculosis are dealt with by the South West
Metropolitan Regional Hospital Boards and by the Surrey
County Council. Your Medical Officer and the Chest Physician
and his staff work closely together and with the Surrey
County Council. Each case notified is visited by an officer
of the Public Health Department, and all contacts are
X-rayed and advised by the Chest Physician. The efficiency
of notification is good and there have been no cases of
wilful neglect or refusal to notify.